1. Replace EXPECTATIONS with INTENTION
Yogi Amrit Desai says “Expectations are disappointments waiting to happen.” Instead of wasting your energy on expectations, create an intention that is your mission statement. This will help you stay grounded during challenging times and give your mind something positive to focus in on. Write it down and put it somewhere you can see it daily; like on your mirror, in your car, or on your computer.An effective Intention:

• It resonates with you.
• It is in the present.
• It is positive.
• It is concise
• It is about you.

Example intentions:

• I remain calm and peaceful in the midst of chaos and change.
• I am at peace with myself as I am, and the world as it is.
• I am presence. I see, feel and experience all things as they are. 
• I love and nurture myself.

2. Become the WITNESS
When you notice you’re being consumed by stress, maybe you notice; you’re holding your breath, experiencing tightness in shoulders and neck, or your mind is racing, see if you can disengage from the mind by observing the sensations in your body. See if you can create distance between you and thoughts and emotions, and stay in your feeling heart center. You are not your thoughts, or your emotions, you are the witness to the thoughts, emotions and sensations. Practicing witness consciousness will help you stay balanced, strong, and unaffected by all that’s in perpetual change.

3. Focus on what you can control. 
One of the biggest stressors we experience is when we try to control circumstances that are not within our circle of influence.
“Do what you can, and then let go.”

4. Utilize stress-reduction techniques daily
Make time in your schedule for Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Walks in Nature, breath work, exercise, dancing, listening to music, hot bath, massage, you get the picture! Put it on your calendar.

5. Make a firm commitment to your health and wellbeing.

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January has flown by and if you’re like most of us, your new year’s resolutions have flown with it.

Why don’t new year’s resolutions last long?

It might be because they are goal-oriented, driven by the end results. When we focus on an exact out come, we set our expectations. And when we don’t reach it within the time frame we’ve set, we become discouraged, self judgmental, and even give up.

For example, if my new year’s resolution is to lose 10 pounds by January 31. What happens when January 31 comes and I’ve only lost 4? I may feel discouraged, like I’m not able to do it and I might as well give up.

Don’t give up! You can become free of bad habits, habitual patterns of thinking, and live your best life.

Try this instead…I encourage you to take your old resolution, dust it off, and morph it into an intention.

What is an intention?
An intention is a guiding force without attachment to an end result. A goal is about the destination, versus an intention is about the journey. Setting an intention is a way to stay focused in a direction you would like to go in. It doesn’t mean you have to practice it perfectly. We can learn from it, and when we ver off the path, we can resume our course without judgement or conflict.

The ancient yogis in India found that intention can consciously determine the course of our life rather than the one our unconscious has chosen for us. Yoga Nidra, a unique mindfulness meditation practice that originated in India, uses intention as a powerful tool to create new grooves at the subtlest state of being and physically transform the brain’s chemistry.

Yogi Amrit Desai explains intention, “Unless we know where we are going, our life will be driven by our unconscious tendencies. If we are not conscious, our life will be left to the devices of a haphazard, rudderless guidance system at the effect of whomever takes control; our highest potential one day, and our weakest samskaras (unresolved issue or memory from the past) on another. What is needed is clarity and stability of focus. Most of us have never considered what we truly want from life. We have a plan, direction and vision to actualize our business, but not one for the actualization of our life.”

Here’s a list of intentions to get you started.
Overeating: “I love my body by feeding it nourishing foods.”
Not enough money: “I never need money. I always have an over abundance.”
Less stress: “I resolve to remain present and calm in the midst of chaos and change.”

If you would like to learn more about setting intentions or practice working with your intention through Yoga Nidra meditation join Curt Gibson and Deanna Gray every Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:00 pm at the Dunedin Community Center, 1920 Pinehurst Rd.

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Yoga reduces the effects negative of stress through the brain and the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).

Stress activates the hypothalamus in the unconscious brain which activates the sympathetic nervous system. External factors, like being chased by a tiger or internal factors like worry, can trigger the sympathetic arm of the ANS causing the fight or flight response. This increases the heart rate and blood pressure. This also floods the body with hormones that affect the entire body. The sympathetic side isn’t all bad, it’s meant to mobilize the body’s resources to do the work that the environment or mind is telling the body needs to be done, like running from danger. But it can be detrimental to your health if the sympathetic side is always activated.

Chronic stress creates an imbalance in the ANS.

We want a balance between the sympathetic side and the parasympathetic sides. You can think of the parasympathetic side of the ANS as the part that allows you to rest and digest. It’s also the side that allows for healing. We need both the parasympathetic and sympathetic sides for our bodies to function properly, it’s the imbalance and the ability to switch between that two, that can create a health hazard.

The type of health hazard an individual has with chronic stress depends largely on their particular physiology. 

An estimated 80 percent of all doctor visits are for stress-related issues. 

A regular yoga practice also helps to calm the mind. Remember the mind is one of the factors that can instigate the sympathetic response. Read more on how yoga helps calm the mind.

Yoga is a biopsychosocial approach to health. It considers biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions.  It addresses the whole person, and that person’s relationship to their environment. Therefore, it’s very effective at reducing the biological, disease creating, effects of stress.

Although yoga has many health benefits, it may be too strenuous for some bodies. You may want to check first with your doctor before taking your first yoga class.

Resources: Ross A, Thomas S. The Health Benefits of Yoga and Exercise: A Review of Comparison Studies. Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2010;16(1), 3-12.

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